The king described the effect of passivity as “sterile”, which means it stresses the idea that neither passivity nor nonviolence would lead to peace. It makes passivity a failure, which is insufficient to bridge the gap between people.
The term sterile was described by an African American activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in his speech of Nobel Acceptance during the year 1964. The king defended non-violence as people who chose non-violence are not weak but are spiritually firm and thus, determined to any change easily.
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